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Head-On

In these haibun stories, Rich Youmans illuminates the seemingly insignificant details that portray the unpredictability of life. A child’s sneaker with its laces still tied captures the loss of life and innocence after a car crash; the wonder of his own magic tricks restores a father’s vitality after a long week of hoisting engine blocks and draining transmissions; a helpless, trapped spider is released back into nature, reminding us all that we are just lost travelers. The arc of Head-On, from shock to sorrow to bracing awareness, is ultimately full of hope. Grief does indeed pass—not only to remembrance but to the opportunity for new love, appreciated even more keenly because of what has been mourned.